Who is the mysterious “Monitor Staff” who composed the mean-spirited article on high school soccer published on Sept. 25, 2009? Why didn’t the article have a named byline so I know to whom I should directly complain?

I am referring to the unnecessarily degrading comments addressed to two of our neighboring school soccer teams, Española and Pojoaque. First, the article was factually incorrect in stating that the Lady Sundevils haven’t scored a goal this season.” On Tuesday, Sept. 24, the Sundevils scored twice against Capital leading to a temporary score of 5-1 in Capital’s favor, which further contradicts the article’s claim that the Lady Sundevils “have not been closer than 5-0 to any opponent this season.” And to refer to the Pojoaque girls varsity team as “another bottom-feeding girls (sic) program” is just plain nasty.

These programs are still relatively new and have grown from nothing through hard work of volunteers, adult supporters and the young women themselves. These programs are providing young ladies with positive, healthy extracurricular activities that build character and commitment. I have refereed both these teams this season and have commended their sportsmanship and “never-give-up” attitude to the New Mexico Activities Association. These young women are displaying the principles NMAA is fostering through its “Victory with Honor” campaign and should be supported in their efforts. The Monitor report was in clear violation of those principles and it painted our Los Alamos community as arrogant and demeaning.